15 Insane Movies That Shouldn't Have Worked

13. Boyhood (2014)

Unlike many movies on this list, the actual narrative content of Richard Linklater's Boyhood isn't especially ambitious or controversial, but rather the means through which he sought to execute it.

Boyhood is a coming-of-age story following a young boy, Mason (Ellar Coltrane), as he transitions into adulthood over the course of 12 years. What distinguishes the film is Linklater's decision to shoot the film in real-time, meeting up with Coltrane and co-stars Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette every year to shoot new material.

The discipline required to pull the feat off is nothing short of mind-boggling, and though there were dozens of logistical problems which could've ruined the project - Coltrane dropping out or people dying - the final result is a beautiful monument to the power that time exerts on us all.